Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 32/2. (2012)
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20 R. E. Németh A close parallel for the decorated pieces can be found in the Otomani settlement of Socodor (Bichir 1964, 77, fig. 8). One can notice a striking resemblance to the wheel decorated with punched impressions or concentric circles on the Early Bronze Age wheel published by Dinu (1980; Häusler 1994, 222, 5/5). An innovation of the Middle Bronze Age was the wheel with spokes, which is represented in several finds from Wietenberg - for example from Racos-Piatra Detunatä (Costea-Székely 2011, pl. 3/7) - and Otomani settlements as well. As one can notice the majority of the above presented wheel models have two hubs, one on either side, followed by those with one hub (Fig. 3). The question remains open for the third category, because there is also a possibility that these were simple spindle-whorls. In the site of Tärgu Murщ-Cetate the wheel models were never found together, hindering the possibility of having more than one wheel from the same wagon model. Not even a single wagon model fragment was discovered. The manufacture of the wheel models is very superficial in almost every case, their size alters between 4-7 cm, and the diameter of the hub is between 0.3 and 1 cm. There are very scarce data regarding the dating of the wheel as well. Only two decorated wheel models (no. cat. 18,4) can be linked to the Wietenberg culture. The majority of the other above presented pieces was found in well known settlements from the Bronze and Early Iron Age. Fig. 3. Typology of the wheel models from the collection of the Mures County Museum. In spite of the fact that contradictory opinions emerged regarding the origin of the wagons and the routes of their distribution, it is certain though that the discovery and usage of the wheel and wagon was a revolutionary achievement, and had a very positive effect on making easier the daily life, opening new possibilities for the trade, transportation and for the communication (Bondár 2004, 5, 27, Bondár 2012, 94), a wagon covering a minimum distance of around 10-15 km in one day (Bondár 2004, 5). The production of the wheel required special knowledge and craftsman. The origin of the wheel seems very easy to decipher if we derive it from a sliced tree trunk. The resulted wheel can be used, but it is a very big impediment that the object is very fragile along the annual ring of the tree, not taking into consideration that without a proper saw it is very difficult to manufacture such a disc-shaped object. In practice instead it is more common, with better results, the cutting of the trunk along its long axis, and making composite disc wheels. It looks as if the oldest wheels were single piece disc, which were soon replaced by composite disc wheels (Tarr 1968, 13, 16; Barker et al. 1999, 787). Horváth (2010) gives a summary of the Boleráz type characteristics of the wooden wheel finds from Central and Western Europe. In this period two type of wheels were in use: the so called monoxyl type wheels, mostly in the northern parts of Europe, with raised tubular naves turned round a fixed axle, and those from Central parts of Europe, with composite structured wheels, having been made from two or three pieces, and with a revolving axle which moved together with the wheel (Barker et al. 1999, 787). The wheels were manufactured from hard wood
